This invention concerns an orientable bending assembly. To be more exact, this invention concerns a bending assembly which changes the position of its central bending pin by means of orientation.
The invention is applied properly to machines which bend sections, and is applied advantageously but not only to machines which bend and shape bars for building work.
The invention is also applied to all cases where sections are to be bent by a bending pin, or its equivalent, able to rotate about an axis by a required angular value either clockwise or anticlockwise.
By sections are meant solid or hollow sections produced by rolling, drawing, extrusion or forming.
The invention concerns a bending assembly which may be located upstream or downstream of a shears and/or drawing unit and which serves to bend a section according to a required geometric configuration, which may include bends with a clockwise or anticlockwise development.
Document IT 971194 filed on 24.11.72 discloses a bending assembly which comprises a bending pin able to rotate in both directions and cooperating with stationary cams and possibly with a contrast roll.
The bending assembly can move axially so as to free itself momentarily from the constraint created by a section, whether the section be straight or already shaped.
The bending assembly can also move sideways to enable the constrast roll to change its position in relation to the section to be bent.
The above document provides for a linear displacement of the constrast roll; this linear displacement, although simple, leads to limitations as regards the mass to be displaced and the movement times.
Such problems become even greater when the bending assembly includes a disk actuated independently by a hydraulic motor or other suitable motor means.
The sideways or linear displacement of the support which bears and positions the motor unit and the means supporting and guiding the bending disk and the bending disk itself causes in modern bending machines a great waste of energy, the movement of great masses and movements which are too precise for the masses and speeds involved.
Moreover, the resulting structure is complex, expensive and burdensome as regards maintenance.